After its sixth straight victory in an Oct. 17 game against North Point, the Chopticon boys soccer team finished the regular season with an overall and Southern Maryland Athletic Conference record of 8-3-1 under first-year head coach Eryk Peksa.
The program’s previous best was a 7-5 overall finish.
“I think this is a very legit team as long as we stay together and play as one,” Peksa said after the game against North Point. “We already broke the Chopticon record as far as the regular season [is concerned], so we are ready to move on. The boys are hungry. They were at the states with coach Butch [Sullivan] last year. They’re hungry to go back and get it again. They have the talent to do it.”
Seniors Sean Bucior (striker), Michael Reulet (midfielder) and Alex Peksa (back) all made the All-SMAC team this fall.
Bucior was Chopticon’s go-to guy this season and it was no different against the Eagles, earning a hat-trick in the 5-1 victory.
“We came out firing from the start,” Bucior said after the game. “When we come together and we’re passing [the ball like we were], we’re tough to beat. The first goal gets your adrenaline going because you’re up 1-0. Gabe [Costa Gorayeb] couldn’t have played a better ball into the back of the net. The goalie had no chance.”
Reulet cushioned Chopticon’s lead with less than four minutes left in the first half, attacking the carom off a save from North Point goalie Jalen Gore and powering the ball into the net before the Eagles defense could recover.
“Last year, they thought it was our year, but we were all juniors then,” Reulet said after the game. “Now, we’re sticking together as a team and rising up. It was [North Point’s] senior night, so they’re trying their hearts out. They’re trying to win the last game of the [regular] season for playoffs, too. We came in and shut them down.”
The Braves finished the season with a 9-4-1 overall record, defeating Friendly of Prince George’s County in the Class 3A South Region quarterfinals on Nov. 1 before falling two days later to Huntingtown in the semifinals, a team they had beaten to win the region championship in 2011.
TAMMY SHOWALTER